A Mentoring Culture

Nourishing the Next Generation

by Lorrie Klosterman and illustrations by Annie Internicola, November 30, 2009

Ask teenagers what marks their coming of age into adulthood and they might say their first drinking party, a pricey birthday celebration, getting a driver’s license, or having sex.

Mainstream culture offers plenty of fun activities to mark a kid’s march to adulthood, but some parents—and youngsters as well—lament that there isn’t something of deeper meaning to usher them. Here in the Hudson Valley, as in a growing number of communities nationwide, parents are seeking a mentoring approach to enrich their kids’ lives and celebrate their maturation.

Mentoring creates a network of adults outside the immediate family who help nurture a young person by taking an active role in their lives, often by teaching skills or knowledge while also modeling integrity, responsibility, and caring. Certain workshops and programs, too, are designed to include different age groups and life stages, bringing intergenerational groups of men or women together—for the benefit of the young and adolescent, yes, but also for the benefit and growth of all.

In this article, we hear from some of the men in our region who are part of a mentoring community that is supporting their sons. In a future article, we’ll look at what a creative set of women is doing to nourish their coming-of-age girls.

Mentoring Kindled
About 10 years ago, Charles Purvis of Accord was looking for a summer camp for his son Liam, and found one that really impressed him. Run by Jon Young and Mark Morey (themselves mentored by wilderness leader and teacher Tom Brown, founder of the Children of the Earth Foundation), Purvis was astounded by the quality of the experiences being offered during a week-long program.

“From the very beginning Jon and Mark built an excitement and curiosity—with a passion that propels one to dive right in.” And dive in Charles did, signing Liam up, as well staying himself for parents’ programs held concurrently—not just that year, but for four. After attending Morey’s annual gathering, The Art of Mentoring, Purvis was ignited to develop a mentoring environment for both his sons back at home, and several times sponsored visits by Jon Young and Mark Morey to New Paltz.